1. Technical Field
The invention described herein relates generally to storage cases for recorded media and, more particularly, to a media storage case for securely holding a variable number of media discs on a common retention hub.
2. Background Information
Movie and music collections are becoming increasingly popular in today's marketplace. Such collections typically include multiple items of recorded media, such as DVDs and CDs, packaged together along with printed literature. One example of a multiple-disc media product is a musical “box set” from a particular artist that may be recorded on two, three, four or more CDs. Another example is an unabridged audio book that may be recorded on six or more CDs. A further example is a group of related movies recorded on multiple DVDs. In addition, video games, typically for use on personal computers or home video game systems, continue to grow in popularity and sophistication. Such video games typically include multiple recorded media items, e.g., DVDs or CDs, and printed literature, such as instruction manuals.
A wide variety of multi-disc media storage cases exist in the art. One type of conventional multi-disc media storage case includes multiple pages or inserts that are employed to hold the media discs. In these conventional cases, each page or insert holds one or, at most, two media discs. The use of multiple pages or inserts typically results in thicker storage cases, which is generally undesirable. When the storage case is adapted to accommodate printed literature, the overall thickness increases further.
Another type of conventional media storage case includes a rigid fin extending from a spine portion and a rigid tab-like fin attached to a front panel or cover, where the two fins cooperate to hold a predetermined number of media discs on a common hub. This type of conventional case is suitable for holding a fixed number of media discs, e.g., one disc or three discs, but it lacks the flexibility to accommodate a variable number of media discs.